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Melodic Structures, Vol 1: Book & Online Audio
This is the first in a series of books and audio/video recordings which describe a simple and pragmatic approach to improvisation. While focusing on the jazz idiom, the techniques discussed are applicable to many styles of music and all instruments, be it rock guitar, jazz saxophone, or the solos of the fusion keyboardist. The system presented in this volume offers a tangible pathway to inside the creative imagination by getting inside harmony, inside the changes. Chord changes are included for C Concert, B flat and E flat instruments. In addition the book includes transposed examples for all instruments (C treble clef, B flat, E flat and bass clef). The accompanying recording has been designed for use in conjunction with each of the chapter assignments. There are nine tunes for you to play along with, each played at a slow and then medium tempo featuring Garry Dial on piano, Dave Santoro on bass and Alan Dawson on drums, plus 12 demonstration tracks performed by the author on piano and/or tenor saxophone.
- GenresMusic
999 pages, Paperback
Published September 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 8, 2021
amazon review
Amazing
Fingers getting in a rut? Often times for those of us who practice a lot, our fingers overtake what we want to happen when we're trying to improvise. Bergonzi talks about this and then gives us his idea of taking 4 note patterns in different permutations and then combining them to play over changes.
I've bought the entire set of 7 volumes, and from I can see, Bergonzi has written these books like one of the most thoughtful teachers I've ever encountered.
His method of providing changes to practice his concepts over is superb, but it goes farther than Aebersold tracks or IReal Pro because the changes are sequenced so that the difficulty increases with the different exercises.
What I also like is that the 4 note permutations force me to play sounds I've never played before. This is opening up my playing because it is introducing new sounds to my repertoire. I've been loading the progressions into my version of IReal Pro so I can play the practice tracks with greater variation of tempos and styles.
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So much depth on a simple concept
Jerry does a fantastic job at explaining and taking you through such a simple concept, 4-note sequences, in small increments that continually build into covering pretty much all possibilities. There is so much here that it will keep you studying and practicing for a very long time. As you start with this, do not be fooled by the simplicity. There is a hidden beauty, that from such a simple concept can rise such a deep method for developing a massive vocabulary of material. If you have been studying improvisation and are stuck on arpeggios and scales, this will get you out of that rut and set you on a modern approach.
Ryan Moffett
Amazing
Fingers getting in a rut? Often times for those of us who practice a lot, our fingers overtake what we want to happen when we're trying to improvise. Bergonzi talks about this and then gives us his idea of taking 4 note patterns in different permutations and then combining them to play over changes.
I've bought the entire set of 7 volumes, and from I can see, Bergonzi has written these books like one of the most thoughtful teachers I've ever encountered.
His method of providing changes to practice his concepts over is superb, but it goes farther than Aebersold tracks or IReal Pro because the changes are sequenced so that the difficulty increases with the different exercises.
What I also like is that the 4 note permutations force me to play sounds I've never played before. This is opening up my playing because it is introducing new sounds to my repertoire. I've been loading the progressions into my version of IReal Pro so I can play the practice tracks with greater variation of tempos and styles.
---
So much depth on a simple concept
Jerry does a fantastic job at explaining and taking you through such a simple concept, 4-note sequences, in small increments that continually build into covering pretty much all possibilities. There is so much here that it will keep you studying and practicing for a very long time. As you start with this, do not be fooled by the simplicity. There is a hidden beauty, that from such a simple concept can rise such a deep method for developing a massive vocabulary of material. If you have been studying improvisation and are stuck on arpeggios and scales, this will get you out of that rut and set you on a modern approach.
Ryan Moffett
Displaying 1 of 1 review